Pats @ Jets First Half Thoughts

As the New England Patriots head into half time of their Week 16 game against the New York Jets, trailing 10-3, hear are some thoughts on the first half:

Vollmer Goes Down- As it's gone all season for the Patriots, the team lost another key player early on their first drive of the game. This time, the fallen soldier is the team's most tenured and experienced man along the offensive line, Sebastian Vollmer. The seventh year pro, who had slid over to the left tackle spot in the absence of Nate Solder, appeared to get his leg/ankle rolled up on by running back Joey Iosefa on a third and one play. He was taken off the field on a stretcher and has already been ruled out for the rest of the game.

A Slow Start- The Patriots offense started off the game very slow, gaining just 24 total yards of offense in the first quarter. The loss of Vollmer didn't help things, as it threw another wrench into the team's plans. things started to get going for them, through the use of trick plays, in the second quarter.

Defensive Struggles- The New England defense is struggling against the Jets running game today, as they've 92 yards to the combination of Bilal Powell, Chris Ivory and former Patriot Steven Ridley. The run defense needs to step up in the second half to limit some of the big chunk plays New York is breaking off on the ground.

Getting Picked On- New England's number three cornerback Leonard Johnson is leading the team in tackling with six total tackles. That's because Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has targeted Johnson many times in the early going, and the Patriot has been unable to break up the passes or cause in completions. Look for more targeting of Johnson in the second half.

A Step Back From Last Time- In my preview blog yesterday, I mentioned how the top two cornerbacks for New England, Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan, did a good job of keeping both Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker out of the end zone in their Week 7 match up. I also said they needed to continue doing that this time around to help the team win. Unfortunately for them, Marshall scored just after the 2-minute warning. His score is currently the difference in the game.

Blast From The Past- One of the guys tearing up the Pats through the first half today is former Patriot receiver Kenbrell Thompkins. The receiver has three catches for 30 yards and could have more if Fitzpatrick could have hit him in stride a couple of times.

Jackson Alert- Though Brandon Bolden carried the load in the first half, newly signed veteran Steven Jackson got in the game a handful of times in the second quarter. Jackson has six yards on three carries, including one run for five yards.

Patriots quarterback needs to target big Rob Gronkowski more in the second half to help the team come back and win.